We’re only a couple months in, and 2015 has already been a good year for robot combat. Battle Bots is back, and RoboGames ran a successful competition this past weekend. Make: was on-site at the San Mateo (California) County Event Center to see contributor Zachary Lytle and many others compete in the ant-weight (one-pound) division. Lytle, who wound up taking home the gold, gave us some insight into the competition and what makes it special.

Lytle, also the founder of Bot Bash, which brings small combat robots to birthday parties and other events, has been a regular RoboGames competitor. He’s had enough success over the years that, in the final match of the weekend, his competitor had designed a robot specifically to target Lytle’s bot, The Bomb. Lytle showed that it’s about driver skill as well as bot design, sticking close to his competitor so the bot couldn’t get up to full speed, and winning in about 40 seconds.

RoboGames is about more than just combat, however. There are 54 events, including several based on humanoid robots. “The combat is what draws the crowd,” says David Calkins, RoboGames founder. Attendees, he points out, often wind up competing the next year. But it can be a big investment, especially if you’re building the larger robots. “It takes a lot of commitment to build something that you know is going to get destroyed, and yet you’re doing it for the love of that competitiveness,” says Calkins.

Sparks fly when a sledgehammer slam bot goes up against a well shielded wedge bot.

Lightning Toss: two wedge style robots go head to head.

This spinning wall style robot takes out a wedge robot in the ring.

Flamethrowers are always a popular weapon, but a well shielded robot can nullify them.

The purple wheeled robot deployed the surprise flamethrower attack in its first match to make a quick knockout of this box bot.

The Insect Ring was popular this year in the Flea, Ant, and Beetle weight competitions.

This young contestant went head to head with her friend in a no holds barred wedge bot battle.

This red-wheeled robot flings the fox wedge robot overhead in its first match.

The pumpkin headed bot deployed its flamethrower early in the fight against its red-wheeled opponent.

However by the fight’s end the pumpkin had been decapitated and neutralized by the throwing arm of the red-wheeled bot.

This bot duo team (each half the weight class limit) tried to use divide and conquer tactics to neutralize their opponent, to no avail.

As robotic contestants engage, sparks shower down on the ring.

The Super Fluffy Pink Bunny from the Land of Candy and Rainbows does a barrel roll over the wedge opponent.

One match was so violent that a piece of shrapnel went right through the arena ceiling.

Calkins and RoboGames raised $40,000 last year on Kickstarter for the event, which has video of the matches available to backers, and featured Mythbuster Grant Imahara as host/commentator.